Christmas
the annual festival of the Christian church commemorating the birth of Jesus: celebrated on December 25 and now generally observed as a legal holiday and, for many, an occasion for exchanging gifts.
of or relating to Christmas; made or displayed for Christmas: six batches of Christmas cookies;a Christmas movie for the whole family.
Origin of Christmas
1Other words from Christmas
- Christ·mas·sy, Christ·mas·y, adjective
- post-Christ·mas, adjective
- pre-Christ·mas, adjective
Words Nearby Christmas
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use Christmas in a sentence
The cash that remained from his Christmas gift left enough to buy boots or a TV, but not both.
'You Have One Minute Remaining.' Why I'll Always Drop Everything to Answer My Brother's Calls From Prison | Reuben Jonathan Miller | February 16, 2021 | TimeLike, the Christmas cards you make might not be seen in stores for a full calendar year.
That is why so many school systems recognize Christmas and Easter.
Faith leaders criticize Fairfax school board for delaying vote on adding four religious holidays to calendar | Hannah Natanson | February 10, 2021 | Washington PostI know it’s hard — it was hard at Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s — but I hope people, if you’re watching, be careful.
Super Bowl highlights: Bucs celebrate championship, Tom Brady wins MVP | Des Bieler, Mark Maske, Chuck Culpepper | February 8, 2021 | Washington PostSuper Bowl parties are going to be as big of a problem as gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas were, and we do know for sure those gatherings did influence the increase in cases that we’re seeing right now.
Even at half capacity, the Super Bowl could cause COVID-19 outbreaks | Kate Baggaley | February 5, 2021 | Popular-Science
In the wee hours of Christmas morning, a flight deal was shared in an exclusive Facebook group for urban travelers.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement | Charlise Ferguson | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTPlenty of Jewish kids today grow up with a Christmas tree next to their menorah.
This is the first Christmas I can remember when the news was all about cops and race.
So this is Christmas, as the song goes, and what have we done?
And that was well before this Christmas, when he appeared to joke about Obama being a Muslim.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe staggered along with much difficulty and managed to complete half of it by Christmas.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxHe was released soon after Christmas, and another Vicar filleth his place.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellAnd when cool silence came again, Hugh begged that the two would have their Christmas Eve dinner with him, at his hotel.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonShe looked radiantly beautiful, and as happy as if her soul were singing a Christmas Carol.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. Williamson"She's given me the pleasure of making Christmas come all over again, to-morrow, that's all," said Hugh.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. Williamson
British Dictionary definitions for Christmas
/ (ˈkrɪsməs) /
the annual commemoration by Christians of the birth of Jesus Christ on Dec 25
Also called: Christmas Day Dec 25, observed as a day of secular celebrations when gifts and greetings are exchanged
(as modifier): Christmas celebrations
Also called: Christmas Day (in England, Wales and Ireland) Dec 25, one of the four quarter days: Compare Lady Day, Midsummer's Day, Michaelmas
Also called: Christmastide the season of Christmas extending from Dec 24 (Christmas Eve) to Jan 6 (the festival of the Epiphany or Twelfth Night)
Origin of Christmas
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Christmas
A festival commemorating the birth of Jesus, traditionally celebrated on December 25 by most Western Christian churches. Although dating to probably as early as a.d. 200, the feast of Christmas did not become widespread until the Middle Ages. Today, Christmas is largely secularized and dominated by gifts, decorated trees, and a jolly Santa Claus.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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